Throughout 2022, safety advocates predicted that the year’s traffic deaths would reach a record high. Now that the final numbers are in, these predictions have proven true. In 2022, 705 people lost their lives in New Jersey roadway crashes – a peak not seen since 2007. 

2022 New Jersey Crash Statistics Reveal Grim Trends

Traffic statistics take time to compile as regulators collect information from across the state. 2022’s final numbers were confirmed in 2023 by the New Jersey State Police, which reported a total of 705 deaths statewide. 

The 705 total deaths make 2022 the deadliest year on New Jersey roads since 2007 when 770 people were killed in car crashes. It also means that in 2022, traffic crash death numbers increased for the fourth year in a row. 

Death rates on New Jersey roads are rising in comparison to total vehicle miles traveled, too. In 2019, New Jersey saw 0.714 deaths per million vehicle miles driven. By 2021, that number had risen to 0.943 per million vehicle miles driven. 

New Jersey’s crash death rates briefly dipped below 550 in the mid-2010s, after making a sharp drop from 2007. It looks as if this trend is reversing, however, placing drivers, passengers, and other roadway users at risk. 

New Jersey Counties and Nationwide Trends

496 of those killed on New Jersey roads in 2022 were vehicle drivers and passengers, according to data from the state police. 192 were pedestrians, and 17 were bicyclists. 

The two New Jersey counties with the highest death rates were Middlesex County and Burlington County. In Middlesex County, 68 people died; in Burlington County, crashes claimed 59 lives. 

New Jersey’s roadway death numbers reflect trends nationwide. The number of people killed in vehicle crashes also increased throughout the United States in 2022. 

State Responses to Crash Death Increases

State officials expressed frustration and sadness over the increased death rates on New Jersey roads. Yet they also noted that efforts to decrease crash deaths continue.

The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety spends approximately $30 million each year on the state’s highway safety plan, according to a DHTS spokesperson. The strategic highway safety plan focuses on seven key factors: driver behavior, intersections, lane departure, pedestrians and bicyclists, other vulnerable road users, data, and equity. Each factor has specific goals. 

Many safety advocates have noted that driver behavior has remained a significant issue since the COVID-19 pandemic. They point to statistics showing that extreme speeding, driving while intoxicated, and distracted driving all increased sharply when pandemic travel restrictions were lifted – and that these behaviors continue to occur frequently, even years after those restrictions ended. 

Experts agree these numbers have risen since 2020 and continue to stay higher than they were pre-pandemic. Yet they disagree on what, if anything, should be done to address them. Some experts continue to advocate for additional intervention programs to reduce speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving. Others say these issues will decline as society continues to readjust to post-pandemic life. They fear that additional laws and restrictions will simply prolong the problem. 

These debates, however, can come as cold comfort to those who lost someone they loved in a car crash. Discussions about roadway safety can feel especially remote if someone else’s negligence claimed the life of someone you love. 

What to Do If You Lose a Loved One in a Crash

Losing someone you love in a car accident can feel overwhelming. While you cannot change what has happened, you can take steps to protect your family’s legal rights and keep essential information in order.

• Keep your documents in one place. Keep together any information you have related to the crash. This may include a loved one’s medical bills, towing and repair bills for a damaged vehicle, police reports, insurance paperwork, and other documents. 
• Get emotional support. Loss is devastating; a sudden loss can feel even more overwhelming. Reach out to qualified therapists or counselors, or lean on your support network of friends, family, religious communities, and others who can help you in this difficult time.
• Speak to an experienced New Jersey injury lawyer. An attorney can help you deal with insurance companies, collect evidence about the crash, and protect your legal rights as well as your loved one’s legacy. Your attorney can take many difficult tasks off your plate, so you can focus on your needs and those of your family. 

Reversing the trend of recent roadway deaths requires care and awareness from everyone on the roads. To protect your rights and get the compensation your family deserves, talk to the team at Petrillo & Goldberg today.